The Legacy and Sustainability plan for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games — 43 RENOVATING OR RESTORING VENUES THAT WILL HELP TRANSFORM THE REGION Following on from the Athletes’ Village presents the other major renovated and the Media Cluster, two iconic urban or restored Paris 2024 venues and their legacy. transformation locations, this section briefly • WATER SPORTS CENTRE IN VAIRES-SUR-MARNE The Water Sports Centre for the Greater Paris Boasting a landscaped section of river for people region is located in the town of Vaires-sur-Marne. to learn how to canoe, kayak, raft or swim With support from the French State and 85% in white water, along with a range of other new of funding coming from the Greater Paris activities open to all (including fitness, sailing regional authorities, it is the largest white water and standup paddleboarding), the new centre centre in Europe. Its facilities make it the ideal will even be accessible and of benefit to people venue for the rowing, canoe and kayak events not currently involved in sport. The Water during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Sports Centre will bring together water sports Having been designed and approved before representative bodies, housing the headquarters Paris won its bid to host the Games, the water of the French Canoe and Kayak Federation, sports centre – inaugurated on Olympic Day, its regional committee, advanced development 22 June 2019 – is considered to be an existing centre and youth development centre, facility. the Île-de-France Rowing League and its youth The Water Sports Centre will offer elite water development centre, as well as the logistics sports athletes top-class facilities. Boasting platform of the French Rowing Federation. a new sports hub spanning 11 000 m2 including the white-water centre, a training pool, a training centre and a 140-bed facility, it is one of only three centres worldwide – the other two being in Beijing and Sydney – that bring together the three Olympic and Paralympic canoe and kayak events – slalom, sprint and para canoe – as well as rowing. Unmatched in Europe, this versatile centre will be able to accommodate all the canoe, kayak and rowing events (canoe slalom, canoe sprint, rowing, as well as the para canoe and para rowing events) during the Paris 2024 Games in one single venue near Paris. One of the major advantages of the centre is that it was designed with people who could use the venue before and after the Games in mind and meets elite athletes’ rigorous standards. Inauguration of the Water Sports Centre, June 2019 © – Hugues-Marie Duclos